(BLOOMINGTON) - The Bloomington Police Department continues with preparations for the upcoming Little 500 that takes place this weekend on Friday, April 24th and Saturday, April 25th.

As in past years, the Department will have several additional officers working to address the common issues encountered by officers throughout the weekend.

The weekend typically results in a high number of arrests for offenses related to underage drinking, public intoxication, assaults, and disorderly conduct. Officers will focus on addressing large parties in student apartment complexes and in the neighborhoods surrounding the IU campus.

Overall, there is an increase in general calls for service and calls for emergency events over the course of the weekend. The majority of those calls occur during the overnight hours which is the time during which most of the additional officers are assigned to work.

Officers will be assigned to vehicles for patrol and emergency response calls and these mobile units will include both marked and unmarked police vehicles.

Officers will also be deployed in squads to patrol on foot in the downtown area near the bars and in those neighborhoods known for larger parties and pedestrian foot traffic. Officers on foot patrol provide greater visibility and the ability to intervene quickly to illegal incidents or disruptive behavior that has the potential to escalate.

The Department also prepares for the event by making sure all police vehicles are serviced and available for use and that additional equipment needs for the weekend are readily accessible. As in past years, a remote booking site for the Monroe County Jail will be set up at the Department which improves efficiency by making arresting officers available more quickly than typical booking procedures at the actual jail. BPD will once again be hosting a Command Center that will include personnel from various law enforcement agencies and First Responders such as the Indiana State Police, Indiana State Excise Police, Indiana University Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff's Office, Bloomington Fire Department and IU Health Bloomington Hospital Ambulance Service.

The Bloomington Police Department encourages those participating in activities related to the Little 500 weekend to:

Use good judgment in their consumption of alcohol;

Watch out and take care of friends who may have had too much to drink;

Don't hesitate to call 9-1-1 for help for those in crisis who need medical assistance and remember that Indiana's Lifeline Law provides protections in many situations for those who call for medical assistance rather than subjecting them to arrest;

Take precautions to safeguard your property by keeping house parties small and by knowing who you allow into your residence.

Finally, to avoid being arrested this weekend, police highly recommend that individuals not engage in illegal activity that will draw attention to themselves from the multitude of officers who will be out this weekend trying to keep the weekend safe for everyone.